Gareth Bale

Well at least he lasted 3 years more than David Bentley plus has a few winners medals to show the grandkids.

 

Gareth Bale 666

 

Even if he is thinking about retirement, surely if Levy has a real go at him, we should get him to reconsider. As much as I am a Levy suporter, I will blame him if we are Baleless next season.

 

I will blame Levy if bale is here next season.
His heart isn't in it and that's not good enough £200k a week.

 

As long as he scores a goal every 80 something minutes, his heart can be wherever he wants.

 

I am pretty sure Levy is to blame for all the players being here next season.

For me the quality of his goals was one highlight or a pretty drab season

 

Will next season though if he isn't getting himself ready for Wales and would rather be on the golf course?

 

We don't know and that's why it's good he is thinking about it (make a decsion)

- If he really doesn't love it anymore -> retire, money isn't an issue
- If the cameo for Spurs and Wales Euros reminds him he still loves the game, then give it another year (with fans at a club that adores him)

He needs to be manged, so the incoming manager has to know he won't play 3 times a week and will have to be on a lighter training schedule.

- 16 goals in a season with him not being a regular, 11 in 20 in the PL
- He is a game changer, not consistent but when he does, it changes games (something we have lacked for a while)

I won't begrudge him any decision, but he has an opportunity to go out with a full season and maybe a redemption arc for Spurs vs. retiring after a few mediocre seasons and a little cameo.

 

Re-signing Bale is a no brainer for a player of that talent with no transfer fee.

He is crucial to start games at home to crap teams that can be difficult to break down. Sure he doesnt start too many of the bigger games especially away from home, but even in those matches he is a huge weapon off the bench.

 

I just can't get over £200k for a part time player.
Makes little sense to me.

 

It would be a no for me.

I think it's just like the very end of King or Dembele. No matter how good he was, you just can't carry a player who can only perform for 20 minutes a week. And in Bale's case it's in very specific circumstances (a poor side on the ropes where there's no need for any defensive contribution whatsoever).

 

I would agree with you if what you said about 20 minutes a week was true.

 

Players are paid based on their marketable value rather than their value to the team. Lloris is paid 115k but is our captain.

Honestly a person earning in a week more than I earn in multiple years isn't worth dwelling on.

 

But it's money we can use elsewhere.

 

Makes no sense to me either.

 

Goals are arguably the hardest currency in football. That's why strikers cost so much. I agree that Bale hasn't looked "all that" for much of the season, but scoring 11 PL goals from 20 matches, especially given that he's had limited minutes, is a pretty good return. That's a striker's scoring rate.

We'd be paying £100k/wk to get pretty much any established striker. If I was offered an experienced backup striker who'd score a goal every other game, for a £5m fee and £100k/wk, I'd be biting his agent's arm off. That's equivalent to what we'd be paying for a year of Bale's services.

 

Furthermore, I do get the argument that we've been shipping goals partly due to Bale's inability/unwillingness to track back and defend. That's down to the manager for me. It doesn't take a genius to see that we get overloaded down our right flank if we play Bale plus an attacking FB. So either play him at #10/CF (giving Kane a rest in cup games and so on), or set up the team to play more defensively -- like the old scheme of having Sissoko to help out the RB.

 

Yes I get that, but add in a player that his priority is for a tournament this summer and after that his motivation is questionable is it worth it?
Might be fine for City, utd, Chelsea, but for us, no.

 

He has to play as a forward imo. But he is moody. Some days he'll cry about his body or a knock. But get him in a good place, and he's one of the few in the world who can finish like Kane. The two of them seem to like playing together too. £5-10m (about our contribution to his wages?) isn't too bad for a year. A lot of quality for that money if you get him in his sweet spot.

 

But let's be clear

- If someone said £10M for Bale +60K/week, no one would blink and that's pretty much what it is ..